Improvement in cleaning pulverized ores so as to aid amalgamation



IsAAo WILLIA FORBEs, or LA FORTE, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT m CLEANINGPULVERIZED ORES so As To ,All) AMALGAMATION.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,294, dated May 30,1871.

a To all whom itfmay concern:

Be it known that I, IsAAo WILLIAM FoRBEs, of the city and county of LaPorteand State .of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Process forCleaning Pulverized Ores; and I do hereby declare the following to be aclear and exact description of the nature thereof.

Y It is well known that for cleaningpulverized ores there have beenusedmillstones, erasters, cast-iron pans, barrels, 850.; but thedisadvantage of'employin g such is that they do-not sufficiently cleansaid ores to cause the mercury to adhere to the metal by which thelatter is to be separated from the ores, Whether Wet or dry, pulp ordust. The aforesaid mediums have not cutting surfaces of sufficientdegree to properly cut, scour, or clean the metal so that it may bereadily taken up by the mercury;

hence a great loss sustained in mining opera tions. The eraster or stoneprocess is the best of the Well-known methods, saving a greater percent. than the others; but I have discovered that by the use of emery asa medium I am enabled to save a much larger per cent. of

the metal. This is owing to the hard and sharp-cutting edges andsurfaces of said mineral. When put in motion against the pulverized oreit will readily prepare the same for adhesion to mercury. I

In carrying out my invention I may use emery Wheels or balls in cases,which cases may be lined with emery, said wheels or balls being solid,or having bodies of other material and coated with emery; and, in fact,the emery may be applied to all places'and articles with which thepulverized ore will come in contact while in the operation of cleaningor amal- I gamatin g. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The process of cleaning pulverized ores by the employment of emery as amedium, substantially as set forth.

To the above I have signed my name this 30th day of November, 1870.

ISAAC W. FORBES. Witnesses:

, JOHN A. WIEDERSHEIM,

W. G. HENDERSON.

PATENT OFFICE.

